ABOUT THE SHOP
How it came about.
Before the Foot and Mouth epidemic in 2001 we were content to sell our crop of lambs in the market place. In the previous three years we sold nearly all our lambs to an abattoir in Lamberhurst who supplied French Supermarkets. Like true farmers we grumbled about the poor prices achieved and the penalties given for anything other than the leanest of lambs.
All that came to an abrupt end with the foot and mouth crisis, apart from the burden of severe movement restrictions, we had to succumb to much lower prices, which put the viability of the farm in question.
The idea of selling lamb direct to the consumer was explored, and we converted a former workshop into a small butchery area complete with cold room. Initially we opened only on Fridays and Saturday mornings, selling just lamb and pumpkins and squashes that we had grown on the farm. Low key advertising in the form of local leaflet drops produced a few customers, we also approached restaurants in the vicinity who became keen supporters of local produce.
During the next year we began buying vegetables from two local organic growers, then followed improvements to the shop and conversion of the adjacent workshop to a larger butchery with a new larger cold room.
This then allowed us to sell Pork and Beef from local farmers,
together with Chicken and Eggs.
At Easter 2005 We took on a full time butcher to provide traditional butchery skills to cater for the individual requirements of our growing number of customers and open additionally on Tuesdays.
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Here is Maisy slicing Bacon
and Chris in action making pork sausages.